March 21: SAGE seedlings

 Several trays of a variety of tomato seedlings--to plant at the farm, and to sell at the plant sale in May.  Bill and Amy also planted peppers, nasturtiums, marigolds, and parsley, which haven't germinated yet.

Cabbage getting leggy....need to get these out to the new greenhouse soon! 

 This is the second planting of lettuce.  The first planting was eaten by mice in the people barn!  Many traps now set and lettuce replanted!  The farm is hoping to grow enough lettuce, by planting every 2 weeks, to supply all the lettuce for camp this summer. 

Basil...everybody's favorite!

March 21: Spinach, Garlic, and Chives!

This spinach spent the winter under the greenhouse in the coldframe...a double layer of protection.  Even though the leaves died down in the cold December temperatures, the roots survived and sprouted new leaves!  And one of the lettuce plants (red leaves, upper corner). 

Garlic and Chives up too.   Garlic was planted in October.  Chives are perennial.

Bill Hopkins dug composted manure into several of the beds and we moved the greenhouse off the coldframe so we will be able to open the coldframe up on warm days.  A white frost blanket is covering the pea seedlings because some very cold temperatures are expected mid week, and then some really warm temperatures at the end of the week!

March 19: a new bed for the rhubarb!

Lots of seeds started this month, and today moved rhubarb from herb garden to behind the weed bin where the comfrey used to be. 

Feb 19. 20, 23: First peas and lettuce in!

Volunteer Sandy Quinn helps dig the bed for the lettuce and peas

 This is the spinach from the fall that made it through the winter in the cold frame inside the greenhouse...double protection!

Lettuce seeds and sprouted pea seeds planted Feb. 20 in bed 6, and a few sprouted lettuce seeds from the Master Gardener lettuce in a bag activity that I helped with at Centennial School.
Sprouted cabbage, arugula, and kale seeds planted Feb. 20 in bed 5. 
I know all of this is a gamble...after all it's only February.  But the warm weather encouraged me to give it a try.  I had the sprouted seeds from the seed viability tests, so I figured, why not?

 Checked on peas Feb. 23--looking good. 

 And cabbage looks good too!

 Thanks to Bill, the raspberry beds are all cut down and spread with composted manure.

Feb 13-19: Seed Viability

Started seed viability tests to see if old seed packets were still good, before deciding to order new seeds.  Put seeds on wet paper towels in little Tupperware boxes.  Most seeds that will sprout do so in a week, but a few types (most notably parsley, celery, eggplant) have to be kept 2 weeks before deciding if they are still viable.

February 18: Sixty degree joy in the February garden!

Bill Hopkins did a great job pruning the dwarf apple trees and cherry tree.  Thanks Bill!

 A view of the garden..still looks a bit bleak, but with a string of 60+ degree F. February days, it was a joy to be back out in the garden!

 New gloves for a new season!  Won't look like this for long!

 Ana Hlavatovich back volunteering with the mint bed!  thanks Ana!

A Plan for the 2017 Garden

All beds moved north 3 spaces from 2016 garden, in order to diminish insect pest damage.